Oedipus and the Sphinx Essay Example for Free

Oedipus and the Sphinx EssayKnow Thyself is sage-green advice. All Things in Moderation is also a wise saying. faggot Oedipus, subject of the most tragical story ever written, brought about his own downfall because of his excessive obsession to know himself. And, try as he might, the much he tried to escape his tragic Fate, the closer it got Thus, some say that the righteous of the story is, Even if you try to thwart your destiny, you wont succeed. The concept of predestination plays a large portion here. For example, if the gods know what will happen, and events are pre-ordained, how can people make free choices or have either semblance of free will? If the gods put challenges in our way that we fail to rise to, are we answerable for the consequences? Would knowing the future, as Oedipus does, cause us to act or behave any differently?The antediluvian patriarch scribe Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King (between 441-427 B.C.E.) for the annual festival where playwrights co mpeted for prizes. These festivals were major civic occasions, with attendance expected of all far-famed writers. In his play Sophocles goes out of his way to present Oedipus as an extremely capable, beloved ruler. It should be noneworthy that Sophocles never suggests that Oedipus has brought his destiny on himself by any ungodly pride (hubris) or tragic deformity (hamartia), common themes in Grecian tragedies.Sophocles also makes a special effort to apologise that Oedipus put to deathed King Laius in self-defense, and a major theme in the tragic play is whether one can believe in oracles and seers. The title of the play, from which is derived the story, is often given in its Latin translation (Oedipus Rex), rather than in its original Greek (Oedipus Tyranneus), since the Greek term for king is the English tyrant, which means a monarch who rules without the consent of the people.THE TRAGEDY BEGINSLaius and his married wo homophile Jocasta (or Iocasta) were King and Queen of T hebes, a prosperous and famous city state in ancient Greece. King Laius, as mankindy people did those days, consulted Apollos revered oracle of Delphi for advice and to find out what the future held for him. What the oracle proclaimed shocked the royal couple The Delphic oracle said that the Kings son would grow up and kill him To make matters worse, it was prophesized that the son would marry his mother and produce offspring by her. King Laius and Queen Jocasta were understandably aghast A short time later Queen Jocasta became pregnant and gave birth to a costly little baby boy. Remembering with fear the oracle of Delphis words, the royal couple of Thebes had the sisters feet perforated and tied together thats the meaning of the name Oedipus, swollen feet. (Myth Mans note this mythical detail makes no sense. It must have been introduced to explain the heros name. (H old everything, I stand corrected. Here is an informative note sent by reader Adam Johnston on July 1, 2011. ) Hey there,Just thought Id let you know that the pointless mythical detail about Oedipus feet being perforate and tied together actually has dual function. It was to ensure that the baby would not survive when exposed to the wilderness. But, more importantly, it is a detail that helps him decipher the answer to the sphinxs screen later in life. He is a halting man who walks with a cane, and scholars see this as the assistance he needed to understand the part of the riddle regarding the 3 legs. Just thought you should know Adam (Many thanks to Adam for taking time to ingest this to my attention.) Laius and Jocasta knew that their baby son had to be destroyed, just they didnt have the heart to do so themselves. They instructed their most trusted slave to expose the hapless baby on Mount Cithaeron, a wild and beast-filled place where the infant surely would perish. In those days, it was usual to leave an unwanted or defective baby in the wilderness.However, the slave glanced do wn at the innocent child and took pity on it. Knowing that the royal couple of the near city state of Corinth was childless, and desperately desired a son, the slave left the crying infant, its feet still pierced and bound by a pin, in a place sure to be found. Sure enough, a kindly shepherd discovered the baby and brought the foundling for adoption to King Polibus and Queen Merope of Corinth. Oedipus was raised as a son by Polibus and Merope and grew to be a handsome, clever and brave young man, even though he walked with a slight limp from the wounds he suffered when his real parents pierced his feet. One day, while performing with his adolescent friends, he got into an argument with them. They insisted, as mean children sometimes do, that he was a fake son, and not the real child of Polibus and Merope. When Oedipus confronted his parents about this, they denied that he was adopted and swore that he was their legitimate child. They told Oedipus to forget what the mean kids had sa id, but now he was intrigued.To discover the truth for himself, Oedipus journeyed to Delphi and asked of the oracle, Who am I? The oracle, cryptic as always, replied You are the man who will kill his father and breed children by his mother. Confused and devastated, the young man started to head punt home. Nearing the crossoverroad, Oedipus decided never to return to Corinth and go to Thebes instead. He dearly loved his parents and thought that by never returning home he would keep them safe and thus overcome his Fate according to Apollos oracle. As he was approaching the crossroad between Delphi, Thebes and Corinth, distraught and deep in thought, Oedipus came upon an old man in a chariot, escorted by a few attendants. It was a narrow passage between two rocks and ticklish to navigate safely.The crabby old man in the chariot shouted Get lost Go away Get off this road, striking Oedipus with his long scepter. Adding further injury, the rude, regal old man ran over the young mans so re foot with his chariot wheel. Oedipus angrily grabbed the staff from his tormentors hands and hit him on the head, killing the old man. The same fate befell the attendants, who tried to attack and arrest Oedipus he valiantly fought and killed them too, accomplish for one servant, who ran away in panic when the battle broke out. Hey, he just wanted to cross the narrow passage, thats all Besides, Oedipus was simply defending himself, and he got there first Little did Oedipus suspect that the old man he had just slain was his own father, and that the first part of the oracles prophecy had come dependable